Volume 2 Chapter 7

「I’m sorry, it seems I misunderstood. I must have startled you by suddenly bringing it up.」

A small shade of guilt hovered above Sophia as she gently smiled. It seemed she genuinely felt she had done something wrong.

Thinking about it, if a prince suddenly brought a commoner girl into the castle and started housing her within the walls, rumors about keeping a mistress would naturally spread. At first even my sex had been uncertain, but once it became known that I was a woman, strange speculations were bound to arise. I don’t really understand the world of nobles, but I can imagine that they constantly pull each other down. The fact that Kyos’s position as Crown Prince was far from secure was obvious enough, after all, the color of death always lingered around him. Bad rumors were probably quick to spread.

「Here I was wondering why he suddenly brought someone under his personal care without saying even a word to me… I see, so he got carried away for the sake of his friend. Really, what a hopeless man.」

(…Hm?)

Just for an instant, a short line of pink appeared above Sophia’s red hair and then vanished. It was the color that should always be present above someone in love, yet it had appeared only for a fleeting moment before disappearing. I had never seen anything like that.

Looking more closely, I could still make out an incredibly short line where the color of love had been, so short I couldn’t even tell its color. Could that color, which should constantly exist above someone in love, really become so short that it was almost impossible to distinguish?

(…Come to think of it… all of this person’s emotional colors are very short…?)

The gray distrust I had seen earlier, the dark green guilt, the pink love, they had all been short lines. I had never met anyone whose emotional colors extended so little and whose feelings were so difficult to predict. …She’s probably extraordinarily good at suppressing her emotions.

Unlike someone like Hector, whose feelings moved beneath the surface without showing outwardly, she truly excelled at controlling her own heart. She disciplined herself and suppressed emotional fluctuations. Even feelings of love, which I had thought impossible to control, were hidden so well that I couldn’t notice them from her prediction lines. Her self-control was astonishing.

Since that color of love had appeared while we were talking about Kyos, there was no doubt that the object of her affection was her husband. But if she spent her days suppressing those feelings as the Crown Princess, it must come with tremendous hardship. …Was it because she wanted to be worthy of Kyos, or because her sense of duty as Crown Princess demanded it? Either way, she struck me as a diligent and admirable person.

「You, Cyril-san. Kyos must be dragging you around and putting through all sorts of trouble, is he not?」

「…No, not at all.」

No matter how much Kyos’s actions made my stomach twist, I could only deny it. I was a commoner and he was royalty. I answered with a fixed smile, and Sophia surely knew exactly what I truly thought. She merely nodded with a smile.

「My guards, the ministers, and I, we all struggle because of him. His outrageous behavior is nothing unusual. And when strange rumors spread, I have to confirm them myself.」

So that was why the Crown Princess had personally come. But now both Hector and I were here, wearing each other’s colors. After looking at us both, the color of distrust vanished from her. She had instantly understood that bringing an ordinary commoner girl into the castle had been done solely for the sake of his one and only best friend. Thank goodness the misunderstanding had been cleared up. …Just imagining royalty harboring resentment toward me over a misunderstanding made my stomach hurt.

「I seem to have interrupted your work. I should be taking my leave now.」

「No, not at all. It is truly an honor that I was able to greet Her Highness Princess Sophia and…」

The rest of my words caught in my throat because a black line had suddenly emerged above Sophia’s abdomen. Prediction lines appeared above people’s heads. Not from their stomachs.

However, in the case of women, black prediction lines of death sometimes extended from the abdomen. It was proof that another life existed inside them, and until the pregnancy stabilized, I often saw those lines lengthen and shorten.

(…The baby is in danger, I think… probably.)

The black prediction line had fluctuated slightly since appearing, but it had not vanished. Which meant she had just decided on something she planned to do afterward, and that action would lead to a bad outcome for the child. If she had not even been diagnosed with pregnancy yet, then life had only just begun within her, and even the smallest thing could cause the black line to extend.

「Your Highness Princess Sophia, do you… have some plans after this?」

「…Yes, I do. What of it?」

「I believe it would be best to avoid anything that places a burden on your body or mind for a while. Please have your physician check your condition every day. Also, I think you should pay close attention to the kinds of tea you drink.」

Gray vigilance stretched above the head of the slender knight standing behind Sophia. Her wheat-colored hair was cut very short, and with her androgynous features she looked like a man at first glance, but she was actually a woman. It was my first time seeing a female knight. They must be rather rare.

After narrowing her blue eyes at me, she shifted her gaze behind me, to Hector. She was probably asking what this meant, but it was not a question he could answer. Most likely he simply gave his usual smile and shook his head slightly.

Guards generally did not join conversations between those they protected. Unless their opinion was requested, they remained silent. So neither Hector nor the other knight had spoken at all, but apparently even they could not ignore my words.

「I had heard you possess unusual intuition, but… are you saying I am ill?」

「No, not ill, but… um…」

Wondering how to answer, I glanced toward her still slender waist. After a brief pause, she let out a surprised 「Oh my」 and above her head lines of joy and surprise extended before quickly shrinking again.

「If your intuition is correct, then I should cancel my plans. …Thank you very much. Well then, farewell.」

「…Yes. Until the day we meet again. I pray that Your Highness Princess Sophia will remain healthy.」

I thought I saw faint colors of favor and interest above the gently smiling Sophia, but perhaps it was my imagination. Her colors were so short that they were difficult to judge.

The female knight, on the other hand, displayed her emotions normally. Gray hovered above her head as she glanced at me once before following after Sophia.

I continued bowing deeply to the two of them for some time, until Hector quietly whispered, 「That’s enough」 and I raised my head with a long sigh.

「Good work… I think it’s better if you don’t talk to nobles too much.」

「…I’m aware.」

I had realized that Sophia was pregnant, and that some future event might cause her to lose the child. I simply couldn’t stay silent. But a commoner stopping a noble who was about to leave and telling her to cancel her plans, such behavior should never happen. Even if my rudeness was tolerated here, not every noble would take it kindly. Kyos and Sophia were simply unusual enough to accept someone like me.

「But your judgment wasn’t wrong. If that child is born safely, Kyos’s position will become unshakable.」

In this country, tradition dictated that when the Crown Prince had a child, the king abdicated and the Crown Prince became the new king. Because of that, those who did not want Kyos to ascend the throne were trying to bring misfortune upon him before the child’s birth, or to prevent the child from being born altogether. Apparently, they were actively pursuing all sorts of schemes even now. Those people were the reason I saw colors that resembled a marketplace of misfortune.

「If Kyos becomes king and drains the poison from this country… things should become a little safer.」

Above Hector’s head was the color of anxiety. It was only natural for him to worry about a friend constantly exposed to assassination attempts. He had once served as that friend’s guard knight, and being forced away from that role only made him even more uneasy.

It would be easy to tell him not to worry, but that wouldn’t make his anxiety disappear. I hesitated for a moment, wondering what to say, then decided to speak honestly.

「I’ll do everything I can to help Prince Kyos. With both your strength and mine, there’s a lot we can do. It’ll be alright. We just have to protect him together.」

「…Cyril-san, don’t you seem more knightly than I am sometimes? That sounded quite dependable and cool, you know?」

Seeing him laugh jokingly, with the color of anxiety gone, filled me with relief. With my foresight and Hector’s swordsmanship, we should be able to avert any danger threatening Kyos. Of course, that meant I would have to see him often to observe his prediction lines, but even if it made my stomach ache, I would do it. …Kyos helped me, and more than anything, I didn’t want to see Hector sad.

「As long as I have you by my side, I can become as strong as I need to be. I’ll do anything I can. I’ll become your wife, and… I’ve decided that I’ll protect your heart for the rest of our lives.」

As soon as I said that, Hector suddenly covered his face with one hand. His hand was large enough to hide his entire face, but above his head the colors of love and joy stretched upward so dramatically that it was almost amusing.

I was getting used to this reaction since I saw it so often, but I wondered if such intense emotional movement wasn’t exhausting for him inside. Having just seen someone like Sophia, whose prediction lines barely moved, Hector’s reactions seemed excessive. Wasn’t he getting far too shaken by my every word?

「If you suddenly say something that sounds like wedding vows… I really don’t know what to do…」

「…Ah. It does sound like vows, doesn’t it?」

Men and women who married exchanged words promising a lifetime together. We weren’t at a ceremony, and I hadn’t meant it that way, but saying 「I’ll protect you for the rest of your life」 was indeed a phrase commonly used in marriage vows. …Though usually it was the man saying those words to the woman, what I had just said would not have sounded strange in a wedding ceremony.

「…You really say things like that without even realizing it, don’t you?」

「It just happens on it’s own since that’s what I usually think.」

I cared deeply for Hector, and I wanted him to meet as little suffering as possible. He had probably been hurt many times before, and if I could stay beside him, I wanted to lessen that pain. My ability to see prediction lines existed to help prevent misfortune from befalling those close to me. My healing magic was also a power used to save people. …I once believed this ability meant I had to live alone. But not anymore. Now I was glad I had a power that allowed me to protect the people important to me.

「Mmm… what do I do? I can’t stop smiling. I love you too much… aren’t my emotions getting crazy right now?」

「…Yes. It’s a new record.」

There was no ceiling overhead, so I could clearly see how far his prediction lines stretched. Above Hector’s head, still hidden behind his hand, a pink line, the longest I had ever seen, extended toward the blue sky. Looking up at it, the sunlight felt dazzling.

「I’ve been curious… What kind of expression do you make when you cover your face like that?」

「Uh… I don’t really know myself. It’s like… I can’t keep my face under control. I just can’t manage an expression, so I don’t even know what kind of face I’m making.」

As he said that, Hector slowly moved his hand just enough to peek out. His honey-colored eyes glanced toward me timidly.

「What kind of face am I making?」 he asked softly.

I pondered for a moment.

He was probably trying to keep his lips in check, but he couldn’t help smiling. His eyebrows drooped slightly, making him look both troubled and embarrassed. Unable to meet my gaze, his eyes quickly darted away. Was this what people meant by a shy smile? Looking at his beautiful face tinged with embarrassment somehow made me feel as though I were seeing something I shouldn’t.

(Somehow… cute…? No, not quite. What is this…?)

People sometimes call small animals or children cute. But this felt different. My chest felt warm and gently squeezed.

After spending a few seconds analyzing my feelings, I arrived at an answer that made perfect sense, and answered with a smile.

「I think it’s a precious one.」

「Ghh!」

A strange sound escaped Hector, a mix between a groan and someone choking. This time he covered his face with both hands, so nothing could be seen at all. Incidentally, the color of love stretched even farther.

「I feel like my heart’s going to stop… Cyril… you’re not doing this on purpose, are you?」

「It’s not like I’m trying to do anything to you specifically.」

I wasn’t trying to surprise him or make him flustered. These were simply my honest feelings. Perhaps it was because Hector was the only person I had decided to spend my life with. He was the only one before whom I didn’t need to hide anything.

Still, I was fully aware that saying such honest things often caused reactions like this. But since he wasn’t upset and I always saw orange joy above his head, I never felt the need to stop.

「I intend to spend my life protecting both your secrets and you yourself. And I find you precious too. But… I really have no face to be saying such things right now, so let me say it properly another time…」

「…Yes. I’ll wait.」

Hector continued to hide his face with both hands, so he also couldn’t see mine. But somehow, his words left me with a ticklish embarrassment, and I quietly looked away. Perhaps I understood a little why he covered his face. …Straightforward words without embellishment were simply too powerful.

(It must be because I love him… that I feel like this.)

I can do my best for this person. It was the day after I thought that…

「I have a favor to ask of you. Nothing difficult. I simply want you to hear my wife Sophia’s concerns once every morning.」

The black-haired, black-eyed Crown Prince smiled cheerfully while the red-haired, green-eyed Crown Princess smiled gently beside him. And hearing those words made my stomach clench.

…I had thought I could endure anything for Hector’s sake, but that didn’t mean my stomach wouldn’t ache. As I accepted Kyos’s request with a smile, I silently decided to prepare some particularly effective stomach medicine.